comments from a conservative Christian perspective,
sometimes on Oregon local and state issues

with thanks to A.E. Housman

Monday, September 19, 2016

DNA and Genealogy

We've been doing some genealogical research using dna tests recently. It has helped us find the family from which one of my great-great grandfathers came from. We still don't know the actual person who was his father, but we know his father's ancestors.

It's fascinating that the imprint of father to son continues on so clearly in the y chromosome so that test is pretty determinative.

One site, familytreedna gives you a visual presentation of how your chromosomes match up to other relatives. Below are three visualizations of the chromosome match between 1) both parents and a child, 2) both grandparents and a grandchild, and 3) a second cousin.

both parents chromosome match with a child (the gray areas not compared)

both grandparents (one one side) match with grandchild (gray areas not compared)

6 comments:

Max, reminds me of the story my dad tells. When he was in early grade school, the teacher gave them an assignment to find out their family ancestry. Dad's mother said to ask his father. His father said, he was a cross between a skunk and a gumboot. So, that's what he told the teacher. She called his home and talked to his mother. Needless to say my grandfather was in hot water when he came home from work that evening.

Yes, and like you he had a tender heart for those legitimately in need and was a great dad to my father and grandfather to us. He would gently tease but have something special for us. He would "produce" candy or quarters from behind our ears. My little brother as a three year old would say to him, "What's behind my ears, granddaddy?" He died young at age 59 of a cerebral hemorrhage. I was 9.

Yes, but he left a great legacy of how to be a loving man, and he was good at his work. He was a mechanic. First for cars, then for ships during WW2, then for the railroad. His job during WW2 was to check for hot bearings on ships produced at the Kaiser shipyards. He rode up to Astoria and back on ships produced. My dad asked him how many hot bearing he found. He said, "None." Pretty impressive. What did the Japanese super aircraft carrier Shinano in was a hot bearing.